Dinner and Advice
by mullinsb
Summary: Naima brings dinner


Naima headed into the base to bring the guys some food. They had been training hard and she thought a home cooked meal would do them good. She sent a text to Ray to let him know she was there so he could come and help her with the food.

"Hey Baby" Ray greeted her this is a surprise he smiled.

"I know you guys have been through a lot so I thought I'd make some food for you and bring it up." She smiled as she popped the trunk.

"Oh my!" Ray grinned "You are the BEST" he told her with a kiss.

"Let me grab a cart real quick!" he told her as he ran inside.

They loaded the cart and head inside.

Lisa passed them in the hall, "Naima!" she smiled "How are you?"

"Good" Naima smiled "Congratulations again!" she gave Lisa a hug. "How's it going?"

"It's… busy" Lisa replied with a laugh.

"I brought the boys some dinner but there is plenty here and you should grab some" Naima offered.

"Oh it smells so good!" Lisa smiled

"C'mon walk with us" Naima offered

"I'd love to but I've got to get this paperwork done. I'll stop in later though" Lisa replied knowing she had no intentions although she really wished she could.

"She's working too hard" Naima tells Ray as they walk away.

"She's an intel officer. It's what she does" Ray explains

"She looks exhausted and stressed out" Naima replies

"She's an intel officer. It's what she does" Ray repeats with a chuckle

"Ok, but she's your friend too. Doesn't that make a difference?" Naima inquired as they got to the door.

Ray stopped and thought for a second. "It does. You're right. I'll make sure I get her a plate"

Naima smiled and pushed the cart in.

The boys looked like they had been beaten. She looked around at sullen faces and a tense atmosphere. It's not something she was used to with Bravo Team.

"Hey, Naima brought dinner" Ray announced

"Dinner?!" Clay repeated "Oh yes!" he came over to the table to help sit everything out.

"Oh, Naima you're the best!" Jason said giving her a hug.

Cerebrus stood up sniffing the food. "I even brought you a little something" she smiled

"If you weren't married to Ray, I'd propose" Brock said smiling.

"Where's Sonny?" she asked

"He's in his cage, taking a nap. He could sleep through a bomb" Trent replied

"Hey Sonny!" Ray called out

"Let's GO boys!" Jason yells Blackburn's standard phrase loudly

Sonny sits up quickly and the room burst into laughter.  
"Whaa? You just are jackasses!" he tells them irritated. He comes out of his cage complaining and then sees Naima.

"Oh..hey there" he says a little embarrassed.

"Sonny! What happened to your eye?!" she ask walking over and seeing his black eye

"Uh, I uh" he replied shuffling his foot and pointing towards his eye before putting his hand in his pocket "you know, clumsy" he shrugged.

Naima gave him a cold stare.

"I need to wake up for a minute I'll be back." He tells them. "It is good to see you Naima" he smiles

"Get back over here Sonny Quinn" she tells him firmly. The other guys have made plates and are sitting to eat. Her demand makes them all stop and look. Sonny's back was to her as he faced the door and winced. He slowly turned around.

"Yes ma'am" he stood an looked at her.

"Come eat" she instructed

"I'm just not really hungry right now. I've been doing a liquid diet" he explained

"Alcohol is not a diet Sonny"

"I.. who.. I didn't say it was alcohol" Sonny tried to deny

"Plate. Now" She gestured her hand towards the table. The other guys quickly looked down at their food as she looked their way.

He wanted to say no but he had too much respect for her to bother fighting it. "Yes ma'am" he said grabbing a plate. He sat down in a chair to eat and was more quiet than normal. The other guys joked and talked. They tried to engage Sonny some but he didn't bite.

"Thank you again Naima! You are amazing," Jason said, as she got ready to leave.

"Yes, Thank you!" the other guys replied giving her hugs.

"I'll see you boys later, stay safe" she smiled as Ray got up to walk her out.

"It's ok, Sonny will walk me out" she smiled giving Ray a quick kiss.

"Oh. Ok" Ray replied caught off guard.

"C'mon Sonny" she said heading towards the door. Trent looked at Sonny and mouthed "You're dead" while Brock gestured his finger being cut across his throat. "So much trouble" Clay whispered laughing.

"Right behind you" Sonny followed.

They got out the door and headed down the hall. "What's going on?" she asked

"Nothing. We've just been busy training and missions and stuff" Sonny replied adjusting his hat.

"Hmm" she replied not saying much else as they walked.

"Naima! Hey!" Blackburn greeted her

"Hey, I brought the boys some food there's still some left I'm sure" she told him.  
"ooh! Thank you! Good to see you" Blackburn replied as he gave her a quick hug.

They got out the door and headed towards her car, she unlocked it with the keyfob and Sonny instinctively opened the door for her. She turned to face him.

"Be straight with me" she said standing there "what's going on?"

"Nothing" Sonny chuckled trying to pass it off

She reached up and removed Sonny's sunglasses. "That black eye doesn't say nothing. The sulking you're doing doesn't say nothing. Spill it" she told him

"I'm fine. It's…" he shook his head "It's nothing" he said looking away.

"Look at me Sonny" she demanded

He reluctantly obliged. She could see his red eyes, clenched jaw, and smell the old alcohol still coming out of his skin.

"You can talk to me" she said placing her hand on his arm. "This isn't you"

Sonny turned and leaned his forearms against the car looking ahead. "Hmp" he shook his head "it is" he rubbed his hand over his face.

She patted his back "NO. It is not. Start with the black eye" she demanded. Although the confidence was in her voice she didn't know if he'd actually give in and talk.

"I got in a fight at a bar. I don't even really remember why" he told her.

"Why are you so…." She tried to find a word but settled for "sad?"

"I'm not sad" Sonny brushed off

"Well you sure as hell aren't happy" she replied

Sonny laughed "How can you say that? I'm a ray of sunshine"

"Your misery is written all over your face"

"I can't" he could feel the burning in his throat

"Sonny" she said calmly. "Holding it inside doesn't help it get better"

Sonny stood silently

Naima gave his a hug and squeezed him tight. "You're family and it breaks my heart to sit back and watch you hurt." She said not letting go.

Sonny choked back tears and Naima could feel his body tighten as he tried to hold them back. "Please, just talk to me. It'll stay between us, I promise," she said as she started to let go but Sonny held on.

"I did something stupid" Sonny admitted before stepping back and wiping his eyes.

"It can't be that bad" Naima tried to comfort him.

"I.. I.." he stopped and stood there not sure how to explain

"You what?" she asked

"I fell in love with my best friend, and it's over. And I knew better. I knew better but did it anyway" he shook his head and pulled his cap down.

Lisa Davis immediately flashed into Naima's mind, but it couldn't be.

Trying to lighten the mood some, Naima replies "Clay?"

Sonny steps back "Whaaaa"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I just wanted to try and make you laugh" she held her hands up and chuckled. "failed. " she shrugged

Sonny laughed. "No"

"Do I know them?" she asked not wanting to come out and ask if it was Davis.

"It sure as hell isn't Ray so you don't have to be concerned," Sonny laughed

He was not going to make this easy now. She tried a different approach-"Why didn't it work out"

"It's against the rules. Which we managed fine but I don't know. I think I'm destined to die alone. I knew better. But I did it anyway and now I've lost my best friend too" he shrugged.

"You're not destined to die alone" She consoled.

"Uh. Yes. I am. It is what it is though. I'll do this job until I can't and hopefully go out in the process" he explained.

"Don't say that." She scolded. "Was it the rules that caused it to end?" she asked

"No. maybe? I don't know. She said we were living a lie and having to hide how we felt and asked what would happen when things got real for us as a couple. Which, I thought things were real for us, but I guess I had moved to fast." He stared at the car before continuing, "I guess I made her job harder. I had planned for us to go out of town to a really nice dinner and hotel; and I just wanted to impress her and show her I could be that relationship guy. She got called in to work and later blames me for making her late and was upset that I suggested we go out of town. I tried so hard to be supportive. I wasn't mad when we had to turn around. I wasn't mad those nights I got stood up because of work. Doesn't matter though" he confessed.

Naima's heart broke for him. She had seen Sonny face many different things but had never seen him so distraught. "Sounds like it wasn't you at all." She consoled.

"I just, don't get it. I tried to be enough. I thought what we had was real and good. If she had asked me to step away from the job, I " he stopped "I would have"

Naima almost couldn't believe the words she heard. "wow" she took a deep breath.

"It was Lisa?" she finally asked

"ha" Sonny shrugged

"I always saw a spark there."

Sonny gave a sad smile

"I'm sorry Sonny. I'm sure it was real for her too." She said

"I love her" He admitted

"I know it hurts. I do. I wish I could fix it. I don't think it's that she doesn't care, I think she is just starting the career she wants where you've been in yours longer. She's trying to find her footing there and it's hard to balance that and love" she tried to explain

"You take chances on the things that are worth it though" he replied

"Sometimes it can take time for people to see that though. It doesn't mean that you aren't important to them. It means they have somethings to work through to get there. We passed Lisa coming in and she's very obviously overwhelmed and stressed out. You can see it."

"She's in her own head and she needs to just step back" he commented.

"But she has to be the one to see that. If you love her, give her the space to figure it out. I know it kills you, and it hurts. But give her a little time"

Sonny nodded. "Ok, ok"

"It'll be ok" she said giving him a hug.  
"Thanks Naima."

"Anytime" she said getting into the car.

Sonny walked back into the room where the other guys were talking. The all looked over waiting for what was next. "What?" Sonny walked to his cage. "Did you and Naima have a good talk?" Ray asked

"Yeah. She threated to blacken the other eye so I told her I'd behave" he laughed "She's not someone you want to be on the bad side of"

"Don't I know it" Ray laughed.

"We were afraid we were going to have to stage a rescue" Jason commented.

"You pansies all would have ran and you know it" Sonny fired back with a hearty laugh

"Not gonna lie" Trent said shaking his head. "Yup" Brock agreed.


End file.
